Changes On The Horizon

  One great thing about the NHL is its willingness to evolve, and efforts to put potential changes on the ice for tangible evidence as to its’ viability. The game doesn’t need to be changed by a large margin, and thankfully the integrity of the game is very rarely sacrificed. Annually the NHL holds a Research and Development camp to test new ideas with NHL caliber players and all management and NHL personnel watching.

  There have historically been changes that have worked, and then some that have flopped. In recent years a good example of a positive change would have been the elimination of the two-line pass rule – which slowed down the game and limited scoring chances. A prime example of a bad rule that is currently set in place would be the trapezoid behind the nets, handicapping goaltenders who have the ability to get involved in puck play. This also leaves room for more defensemen to get hurt as they must now bear down into the corners to retrieve a dumped-in puck. This particularly presents a problem for one of the NHL’s biggest troubles in recent years; concussions, and blind-side hits.

  The NHL has implemented new rules on these very problems heading into this season effective immediately. The NHL Players Safety and Hockey Operations group and NHLPA have complied video and definition of what is now an illegal hit in an effort to rectify the repetitive concussions that are taking away from the game as players are dropping left and right, and missing ice time. The new rules outline what an illegal hit to the head and boarding are, and what the consequences will be.

  The following is a description of the modified rules. (taken from NHL.com).

Rule 48 -- Illegal checks to the head


  The NHL changed Rule 48 to render illegal all hits where the head is targeted in an intentional and/or reckless way and is the principal point of contact. A minor penalty will be assessed for infractions of this rule and the possibility of supplementary discipline exists.


  The referee can use his judgment to determine if the player put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneous with being hit, as well as if the contact with the head on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable.


  Rule 48 previously provided on-ice officials with the ability to call a major penalty for any targeted head hit from the lateral or blind side, but the re-written rule no longer includes the words lateral or blind side, and the major-penalty provision has been replaced by the minor-penalty provision.

"Now, the confusion some of the players have expressed in the past as to what direction they're approaching a player, what direction a player is facing, east, west, north, south, that has all been taken out," Shanahan said. "Anywhere on the ice, coming from any direction, you target the head and make it a principal point of contact, you'll be subject to a two-minute penalty. You'll also be -- as with all two-minute penalties or non-calls -- subject to supplementary discipline."

Rule 41 -- Boarding


  The boarding rule was amended in several ways in order to put the focus on the violent -- and possibly dangerous -- contact with the boards rather than the actual point of contact.


  This season, a boarding penalty will be assessed to a player who checks or pushes a defenseless player in a manner that causes the player to have a potentially violent and/or dangerous impact with the boards. The word "pushes" was added to the rule and "defenseless" replaced the word "vulnerable."


  The onus now is going to be on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenseless position. If he is, the player applying the hit must avoid or, at the very least, minimize the contact.


  However, as is the case with Rule 48, the referee will be able to use his judgment to determine if the player getting hit put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneous with being hit, or if the check was unavoidable and contact was at the very least minimized.

"What we did is we took the onus off the violence of the hit itself and added the word 'push' in there," Shanahan said. "It really has more to do with the violence in the collision with the boards. We don't necessarily think it has to be a violent hit to cause a violent crash, so we broadened the rule by putting in the word 'push.'"

  After reviewing the rule changes for myself, I find them a little vague in writing, but a step forward if actually tended to. It would be a great disappointment if after all of this time and talk as a primary subject matter within the league, it didn’t change a whole lot. Basically what they’ve done is broaden the rules not to be limited with certain words like ‘defenseless’ and ‘lateral.’

  In the ten minute video presented by NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan and NHLPA Special Advisor Mathieu Schneider, the new rules are outlined by examples.

  The positive end of the rule tweaks is that a headshot is a headshot and it’s illegal - period. On the boarding rule, it eliminates players from getting smashed into the boards unbeknownst to them.

  The problem with hockey is the speed at which things happen. Today’s game is very different from years past, which inevitably opens the door for these issues to be alive in the game in its’ current state. Players are much faster, stronger, and bigger than they used to be. The unfortunate truth is that the onus is clearly on the players. Better judgment and decision making is the key to a healthier game.

  If players are unable to control themselves (i.e. Matt Cooke), the league’s disciplinary committee is to take over with assessing supplementary discipline. This may however pan out to a much more effective method, if in fact the NHL is more serious about making a player pay for a dirty check. More stringent penalties to the player who made the infraction, and even a monetary penalty to the team in which that player skates for, may well make players think twice about laying a bad hit on an unsuspecting opponent. Longer term suspensions to those who are repeat offenders, and a fine to the club in which that player is signed with will in time keep clubs from signing these types of players. I’m tired of seeing 3 and 5 game suspensions for players that make these hits – the time and pay missed is chump change for a lot of these guys.

  I firmly believe that the way to eliminate dirty hits to the head is to eliminate the players that make them.

  On an exciting note, the NHL looks to be going forward with improvements to the nets. The NHL’s Board of Governors met Tuesday and received conditional approval for the changes, some of which will likely be in place by the time the puck is dropped for the season opener.

  The first change to take effect will be that of the Goal Verification Line. The three and a quarter inch green line will sit just behind the goal line inside the goal nets. The distance between the red goal line and the verification line is exactly the width of a puck. The idea is that this will make reviewing goals much easier for the guys in Toronto on a close call. If the puck touches the verification line it is undoubtedly a goal.

  To further enhance the goal, there will also be thinner mesh along the top of the nets, allowing for a clearer view of the puck from above, and also putting a different effect on the puck in terms of the ‘rebound’ off of the net – an obvious sign it has found its’ way top shelf ‘where momma hides the cookies.’

  The third change will be in that of a clear mesh placed on the outside corners of the baseline of the net. This eliminates visible obstruction, also in an effort to make calls more consistent and obvious when a puck sneaks between a goaltenders’ pad or skate, and into the net down low.

  The Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, will determine whether the later two changes will be implemented for this season, or next. The verification line and mesh skirts at the bottom of the net may be in place before the season starts, but it may take a month or two to outfit the entire league with the thin mesh.

  The fourth change to the nets will definitely not take place this year, but is being seriously discussed for next year. A change in the depth of the nets by four inches shallower was also tested at Air Canada Center with the Ottowa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. The idea here is to open up a bit more space behind the net, and even a potential passing lane from behind the goal. Four inches may not seem like much, but in a fast paced game where quick decision and absolute precision is the theme, just a few inches could go a long way in terms of opening up more scoring opportunities for players.

  All of these goal changes are conducive to what the NHL has long been trying to accomplish since the lockout. The NHL wants more scoring, and an even faster paced game. The net changes that will be implemented this year will help with the flow and integrity of calls.

  It takes a lot from a hockey purist and goaltender as myself to see anything physically changed, but I’m all for it. The NHL has done a great job with this and it will be interesting to see what intuitive minds aspire to in the future.

Kendall Grubbs